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Cannes: Emma Watson 'not running' from 'Harry Potter'

Emma Watson couldn't be further from Hermione Granger in The Bling Ring. She plays teenage, celebrity-obsessed house burglar in Sofia Coppola's new film. But Watson insists she is not trying to distance

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Cannes: Emma Watson 'not running' from 'Harry Potter'

Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
9:25 p.m. EDT May 16, 2013

Director Roman Polanski, left, arrives with actors Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric for the screening of Polanski's film "Venus in Fur" at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, France, Saturday, May 25, 2013. (Photo: Francois Mori, AP)

Strauss-Kahn, right, and Myriam L'Aouffir, a media marketing executive, arrive at the screening of the newly restored version of the film "Plein Soleil," part of the Cannes Classics series at the legendary film festival in 2013. (Photo: Anne-Christine Poujoulat, AFP/Getty Images)

Yikes! French businesswoman Mouna Ayoub, left, suddenly realizes she's walking on the train of Li Yuchun as she arrives for the screening of 'Behind the Candelabra.' (Photo: Loic Venance, AFP/Getty Images)

Director Steven Soderbergh, left, Michael Douglas, producer Jerry Weintraub and Matt Damon take in the Cannes scene from the top of the steps at the screening of their new film 'Behind the Candelabra.' (Photo: Lionel Cironneau, AP)

Thierry Fremaux, left, the general delegate of the Cannes Film Festival welcomes Zoe Saldana, Noah Emmerich director Guillaume Canet, Clive Owen, Marion Cotillard and Jamie Hector for the screening of their film 'Blood Ties' at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20. (Photo: Alberto Pizzoli, AFP/Getty Images)

What color jacket would the famed French shoe designer Christian Louboutin wear on the arrivals carpet in Cannes? Red, of course! He seen here with producer Melita Toscan du Plantier at 'The Past' screening on May 17. (Photo: Valery Hache, AFP/Getty Images)

CANNES, France — Emma Watson couldn't be further from Hermione Granger in The Bling Ring. She plays a celebrity-obsessed house burglar in Sofia Coppola's new film.

But Watson insists she is not trying to distance herself from her famous Harry Potter image.

"I'm not trying to run away from it," Watson said at a Cannes Film Festival news conference on Thursday where The Bling Ring premiered. "I'm very proud of the work that I did. I'm just really enjoying having the chance to transform into new roles."

And transform she does in the crime tale, based on true events, of troubled teens who target the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, break into celebrity homes and steal their precious swag with amazing ease.

For Watson, her Granger days are long behind her, even though Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 came out in 2011.

"It's strange for me because Harry Potter seems like such a long time ago," said Watson. "So much has happened over the last three or four years. But obviously it's very present in people's minds and living rooms."

She enjoyed working with Coppola on the film and especially relished having the freedom to improvise scenes with her castmates, something not allowed by strict legions of Potter fans.

"I am used to really having to stick to my lines. Because people really know them by heart," said Watson. "So it was lovely to ad-lib or improvise. It was really special."

Watson prepared for the part by watching a heavy dose of reality television shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians and The Hills. This helped get into the celeb-obsessed mind-set. And the British actress focused on capturing the voice of a Los Angeles girl.

"I had to get the accent down, the dialect," said Watson. "That took a lot of time."

Her director was impressed.

"It's interesting to see actors that you see in other films transform into characters that are so different from themselves," said Coppola. "It's exciting."

For Watson, it is the next step in her career following last year's hit The Perks of Being a Wallflower. She said she's seeing even more opportunities for women actors in film — pointing out roles like those in Bridesmaids and Rebel Wilson's hosting of the MTV Awards as signs that the gender field is leveling.

"I feel we're doing great," said Watson. "There's still a way to go. I'm not pretending there's perfect equality in the industry. But we're moving in a really great direction."